The present invention is generally directed to grain bins and more particularly to a guard apparatus to assure free flow of grain through the bin discharge opening.
Bins for storing grain commonly take the form of covered shelters. A sump or center well is provided below a discharge opening in the center of the bin floor. As a result, when grain is drawn from the bin, the grain flows through the discharge opening by gravity feed into the center well.
In the usual case, an auger conveyor or the like is positioned in communication with the center well. It receives the grain passing through the discharge opening and conveys the same to a point of utilization external to the bin.
It is also common practice to periodically completely empty such grain bins. To this end, a sweep auger is introduced into the bin with its discharge end over the discharge opening. As the sweep auger sweeps the bin, it conveys the grain to the discharge and the center well. The auger in communication with the center well is then enabled to convey the grain from the bin for totally emptying the bin.
In many cases, grain is stored in such bins for a considerable period of time. After long storage, a small quantity of the grain can form large chunks of compacted grain. As grain is removed from the bin, these chunks of grain can bridge across the discharge opening and thus form a blockage in or over the bin center well. Obviously, this can hamper or in some cases totally impede grain removal from the center well by the auger conveyor.
It is therefore a general object of the present invention to provide a guard apparatus for the discharge opening of a grain bin which encourages free flow of grain to and through that opening.
It is a more particular object of the present invention to provide such a guard which breaks up compacted grain chunks over the grain bin discharge opening.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a guard apparatus which is arranged to direct unbroken chunks downwardly and away from the discharge opening as grain is removed from the bin. A related object is to provide a guard which will engage and stop chunks of grain that can not be cut up and will not slide off, and hold them above the discharge opening in such a manner as to permit grain to continue flowing into the opening from the sides and underneath the knife blades of the apparatus.
It is a still further object of the present invention to provide such a grain bin discharge opening guard apparatus which may be fixed against lateral movement in an operative position above the discharge opening but is also portable and adapted to be removed from its operative position to permit the introduction of a sweep auger into the grain bin with its discharge end over the discharge opening to facilitate complete emptying of the grain bin.
The invention therefore provides a guard apparatus for the discharge opening of a grain bin to preclude blockage of the opening by compacted grain. The guard apparatus includes a knife means including a plurality of spaced apart blades which are adapted to be disposed across the discharge opening. The array of blades extends substantially perpendicularly to the discharge opening, and provides a number of grain-engaging cutting edges for cutting and breaking up compacted grain over the discharge opening. As a result, free flow of grain through the discharge opening is encouraged.
In a preferred form, the plurality of blades define a plurality of knife units wherein each knife unit defines a closed perimeter and wherein the knife units are concentrically arranged with respect to each other.